Speech and Hearing Science Commons^™

Audiological Evaluation Of Persons With Dementia: A Systematic Review, Yehudis Hoch

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Background: Dementia and hearing loss are both prevalent, age-related conditions and recent research has established a correlation between the two. Audiological evaluations of persons with dementia are important due to a likely comorbidity of dementia and hearing loss, the detrimental effect that hearing loss has on cognition and cognitive tests, and because the similar presentation of the two conditions can cause hearing loss to be overlooked. Hearing loss intervention is critical for this population due to the positive effects that amplification has on cognition, social engagement, and listening effort. Despite the importance of hearing assessment and intervention, audiological evaluation of …

How Speech-Language Pathologists Account For Self-Determination Across The Progression Of Dementia, Emilee Mcgahee

Master's Theses

Dementia diagnoses are continuing to increase, with the number of diagnoses expected to reach 231 million globally by 2050 (World Alzheimer’s Report, 2019). With this comes a greater need for Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) who are able to best treat those who are diagnosed. Providing person-centered and strengths-based treatment approaches for people with dementia (PWD) has been proven to increase positive engagement responses while decreasing negative engagement responses (Skrainer et al., 2007). The primary objective of this research study was to assess treatment approaches used by SLPs in dementia care setting, along with how SLPs provide person-centered dementia treatment throughout the …

Hearing Loss As A Risk Factor For Cognitive Decline In The Elderly: A Rapid Review, Natalie Large, Nannette Nicholson

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: The aim of this rapid review was to identify and evaluate evidence exploring hearing loss as a risk factor for cognitive decline in the elderly population. Methods: A literature search was performed in three databases: CINAHL, Cochrane Central, and PubMed. The PRISMA template was used to record the search and selection process. Search criteria included older adults aged 65 and up with diagnosed or self-reported hearing loss and no previous diagnosis of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Participants were excluded if they had been diagnosed with dementia or tested for it before the study began. Hearing loss was categorized using …

Using Virtual Reality To Treat Cognitive & Communication Impairments In Adults, Aubrey Hicks

2023 SLP Posters

Cognitive and communicative deficits are experienced by individuals with dementia, stroke, traumatic brain injury, and developmental disabilities. Skilled speech therapy services are required for these individuals’ experiencing impairments in communication, memory, problem-solving, and processing. Treatment targets may vary including communication, attention, focus, orientation, word retrieval, and executive functioning. Treatment tasks must be personalized and purposeful to provide the most functional therapy possible. Virtual reality (VR) has been proposed as a means to provide these services for individuals to promote independence in their environment, and in turn, more functional success in real life. VR is the “use of interactive simulations created …

Dementia: Effects On The Language Skills Of Bilingual Speakers, Christopher Logan Durr

2023 SLP Posters

Dementia is a type of condition that is generally characterized by any progressive decline in the brain’s ability to function cognitively and linguistically, brought by either injury or disease. Around the world, roughly 55 million people, live with dementia, with an incidence rate of nearly 10 million per year. Some of the individuals affected by this condition are also bilingual speakers, who comprise about 43% of the global population (World Health Organization: WHO, 2023). Individuals who speak more than one language actively engage in code-switching, where they must alternate between languages. Because of this, speech-language pathologists and other allied health …

Effectiveness Of The Montessori Method For Dementia Patients, Breanna Baker

2022 SLP Posters

Dementia is characterized by a progressive decline in memory and other cognitive domains that can interfere with daily living and independent functioning. Symptoms associated with dementia continue to progress in severity until death occurs. This poster will present the available data on The Montessori Program, a specific treatment method that was initially researched more than twenty years ago and is currently being utilized around the globe in more than ten countries. In 1907, Dr. Maria Montessori discovered that experiential learning led to a deeper understanding of language, mathematics, science, music, social interactions, and much more. Montessori is a method of …

Creative Arts Therapy For Individuals With Cognitive-Communication Disorders, Julianne Cadieux

2022 SLP Posters

This poster will provide an overview regarding the characteristics and prevalence of cognitive-communication disorders, specifically in terms of dementia. Discussion of cognitive, functional, and affective difficulties among those with dementia will occur. The session will give a description of creative arts therapy, with inclusion of the forms and purpose. The utilization and efficacy of creative arts therapy among those with dementia will be examined. Discussion of the impact of creative arts therapy regarding quality of life (QOL) and its affect on skilled services for dementia patients will occur.

Hippocampal Connectivity In Parkinson's Disease, Landis Llewelyn

Honors Theses

Background: This thesis was conducted in order to investigate possible connections between functional connectivity of the hippocampus in individuals who have Parkinson’s disease.

Methods: The MRI images, the clinical data, and the demographic data of 93 individuals with PD and 18 individuals without PD were obtained from the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative. Resting-state fMRI data from a group of PD patients was compared to a control group of non-PD patients by using previously published methods with FMRIB Software Library (FSL) as well as Analysis of Functional Neuroimages (AFNI).

Results: Compared to the control (non-PD) group, results bilaterally showed lesser connectivity …

Loss And Attainment Of Identity For Individuals Experiencing Early Onset Dementia, Benjamin Wright

Rehabilitation, Human Resources and Communication Disorders Undergraduate Honors Theses

Qualitative research over the last decade suggests that connection with others and continued engagement in everyday life contribute to quality of life for those with EOD. This study aimed to map how personal and socially attributed identity shifted as everyday life changed over the dementia continuum. The goal was to determine if common narrative and life story themes marked key indicators of perceptions about and maintenance of self, others, and everyday life roles. The materials of the study were eleven open-source video, audio, and written documents submitted by individuals experiencing EOD and their family members for public use. The selected …

Ipad Use To Enhance Conversations Between Persons With Dementia And Their Family Caregivers, Kelsey Dynes

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Electronic conversational memory notebooks, a more current application of previous hardcopy versions, consist of personally relevant photographs and accompanying sentences. The notebooks help persons with dementia access memories during conversations. Person-centred communication (PCC) recognizes the individual, accommodating for personal beliefs and intentions. The purpose of the current study was to determine whether persons with dementia and their family caregivers could be educated and trained to use PCC while using an iPad-based electronic conversational memory notebook. Seven persons with mild to moderate dementia and their family caregiver completed the six-week study. Participants were educated and trained to use PCC while conversing …